In accident situations of a vehicle, especially a hybrid or electrical vehicle, a battery housing, which usually is made of metal and includes one or more battery cell(s), can press against the battery poles of the battery or the battery cell at two locations, because of deformation of the vehicle body, which may short-circuit the battery and cause it to burst open due to the produced heat loss. A short circuit in the vehicle electrical system or in the battery leads to heat development at the contact points of the short circuit and could pose a fire hazard to the battery and the vehicle. It must be ensured that the vehicle battery will not be short-circuited during or after an accident and that it is safely cut off from the vehicle electrical system.
A number of safety devices in motor vehicles are available for separating the battery of vehicle electrical systems. In such safety devices, the vehicle electrical system switches off the electrical current output by a vehicle battery, for instance by severing the electrical connection to the battery using a knife, for example, in order to quickly and reliably separate the battery from the vehicle electrical system in case of damage or other emergency situations. This prevents damage of technical devices or it prevents people from being exposed to danger. In such a case, the lines of the vehicles leading out of a battery system are severed when a crash has occurred. Nevertheless, the vehicle battery remains operable and is not excluded from a potential short-circuit.
A device for separating an electrical current circuit is described in PCT International Published Patent Application No. WO 99/54904, in which an activatable device can generate a trigger pressure, which acts on a current line either directly or via rigid means.
German Patent No. 44 13 847 discloses a safety device for a motor vehicle having a deactivation device, by which an electrical energy source can be separated from a electrical system of a vehicle, the deactivation device including severing device such as a knife to which a propellant can be applied.